Death's Medium
by JayPun
Summary: Austin had a gift. Every night, in his dreams, he watched people die. He could see them walk the streets when he was awake and he could always feel "his" presence. There was a world that everyone lived right on the thread of but was blinded, like a racing horse, from it. Austin had no blinders. He saw it all. He saw the dead.
1. Prologue

Disclaimer: I do not own Austin and Ally

* * *

Prologue

He_ was sitting in a chair, tied down. Pain racked his entire being. Blood dripped down his skin, pouring from deep wounds all over his body. Someone was screaming and it wasn't him. The screaming was coming from a woman. It sounded like a young teenager. He was completely calm yet he could feel panic racking his sense, like it was someone else's. His body moved on his own, tugging and pulling at the ties that were holding him down. A blade cut at his skin. It was like someone at touched him with hot embers. The girl screamed but he did nothing._

_He couldn't see his captive, his vision was blurred by a red liquid. There was laughter echoing in the room. It was deep and insane, filled with a pleasured glee. He felt his body flail around in the chair. The girl screamed even harder as his captive drove a blade into his chest. He heard the girl gurgle up blood, but didn't see her. His head slumped down against his chest. There was blood pouring out. __Then he saw it; his body wasn't his own. It was the girl's._

_He felt the girl's being fade out. She was dying, overwhelmed by the pain that racked both their bodies. He was slipping with her, feeling himself blacking out._

_The girl wasn't breathing anymore and neither was he._

* * *

Austin shot up in his bed, screaming bloody murder. He flailed around, trying to figure out where he was. He heaved for air as he grasped his covers. Realizing where he was, he let out a sigh of relief. Just in case, he put his hand on his chest. No blood.

His door flew open and his bedroom lights flickered on. His parents stared at him with fear in their eyes.

"Honey?" His mom said. " Are you alright?" She looked like she was about to have a panic attack.

Austin nodded, still breathing hard. "Ye-yeah. I just had a-a um." He stuttered out.

"You had another one, didn't you?" His father said, catching on to what his son was saying.

"Yeah" Austin said. He got his breathing under control but his body was covered in a sheen of sweat. He wiped his forehead with his pajama shirt sleeve.

"What happened?" His mom asked sullenly.

Austin swallowed a lump in his throat. " A girl, maybe fourteen. I think she was kidnapped. She was tied to chair." He said.

"Did she die?" Mike asked.

Austin looked down at his lap and nodded. His parents sighed in sorrow. The blonde scratched at his neck, hating the looks his parents were giving him. "I'm sorry."

"It's not your fault." Mike shot back immediately.

"You alright?" His mom asked.

"I'm fine. It's nothing I haven't seen before." He reassured them. They nodded and gave him a saddened smile.

"Okay, we're going to back to bed. Call us if you need anything" Mike said.

Austin nodded as he watched them leave. He let out a long sigh and slumped back into his bed as the door shut. His dream was still very fresh in his mind. They always were. His dream wasn't the first time he had watched someone die. He always had dreams like the one about the girl. He had a gift. Almost every other night, his dreams were plagued with death and each and every one was real. He was forced to watch people, real people, die. He felt their pain, fear, and panic as they breathed their final breath. He always saw it all through their eyes, which was the worst part.

The next morning, Austin walked down the stairs to find his parents sitting in the living room, watching the news. His face fell when he saw what was on the screen.

_This morning in a suburban neighborhood, a fourteen year-old name Samantha Westly was found dead. Samantha was reported missing just two days prior. Police were suspicious that she was kidnapped, but the authorities never received a ransom. She was found, stabbed and cut up, tied to a chair in a basement. Police have little to go on on who killed her._

His parents turned off the T.V. Something he was thankful for. He ignored their looks as he walked back upstairs. He went into his room and shut the door. As always, his dream had proven to be real. Austin shook off the feeling of guilt. He watched so many people die yet he could never do anything about it. It was always too late. They were either already long dead or dying at the same time he was watching it happen.

He had a gift, one that ran deeper than dreams. He was an extreme version of a Medium. He could see, hear, speak, and feel ghosts. He could help them pass on. He had been able to for his entire life. He had even been possessed on several occasions. Only his parents, Dez, and a few priests knew and that's how he planned to keep it. Austin had lost count on how times he had been attacked or how man spirits he had seen in his seventeen years. Some weren't even spirits, they were...something else.

There was one thing he'd seen and had never told anyone, not even Dez. A Death Dream, what he called what happened last night, had gotten a little too real. It happened sometimes. He would wake up, bearing the wounds that had been inflicted on the people he watched die. That's what had happened when he saw it. He, himself had been close to death and _he_ was standing there, watching...waiting. He was covered in a dark cloak, a hood covered his face. A scythe was in his bony hand.

He had seen the Grim Reaper. Death, and he had been waiting to take Austin.


	2. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: I don't own Austin and Ally

* * *

Chapter 1

It was moments like this that Austin hated the most. Being stuck at school while a spirit stared him down. He was in English class, his seat was in the far back corner, next to the window. The said spirit, an elderly man who had died due to a heart attack in his sleep, stared at him half through the window. One half of him was outside the school building the other half was inside, next to Austin's face.

The old man kept talking to him. Something about his wife. The blonde kept trying to space the old man out and try to pretend he knew what was going on in class, but it was proving futile. He was really tempted to just ask to go to the bathroom and take care of the old man. Help the geezer pass and move on. He would've too but his teacher was incredibly strict and she hated his guts. Austin didn't really know why, but she did.

Austin also didn't like passing spirits in public areas, especially places like school, but this guy was really starting to grind on his nerves. The old man had been clinging to him all day. Austin had a headache now and his temper was growing thin with every passing minute.

Dez, who was sitting in four chairs away from him, was giving him concerned looks. Austin had told Dez about the old man the second he saw him today. The redhead was fully aware of the fact that Austin was a Medium and had even personally seen the blonde interact with spirits on countless occasions. From Death Dreams, to possessions, and even actual physical attacks when he was awake. Dez had seen Austin at his worst with spirits and he was amazed it hadn't scared the redhead away.

Austin had long since given up on actually trying to listen to the lesson, settling on making it look like he was instead. That's what he had been doing all day, faking his way through classes. It's always what he did when he got stuck with an overly annoying spirit.

Finally, the bell rang, signalling the end of the day. Austin shot up from his seat and barreled out the door. The old man was hot on his heels. He fast walked to his locker and made quick work of the combination. He got his locker open just as Dez walked up to him.

"The old guy still clinging to you?" Dez asked.

Austin let out a tired sigh. "He won't shut up." Austin complained. "He's giving me a headache."

"Hey," The old man said in a raspy cry. "Where's my wife? You can help me find her, can't you?"

Austin groaned. The old man had been repeating that same damn question all day. "Tell Trish and Ally that I won't be at Sonic Boom until later." He grumbled tiredly. That was one major thing he hated about his gift. Spirits always drained his energy. They fed off of him like a leech, taking up every bit. The priests at the monastery told him that every person gave off a certain amount of energy that spirits could feel and that he gave off what was far beyond normal. There were several times he had gotten possessed and every time it happened, his parents would take him to a monastery about half an hour from their home. He knew every priest, nun, dean, cleric, minister, pastor, anyone who had any association with the monastery, he knew them by name and they all knew him.

Everyone in the monastery were acutely aware of Austin's ability but all swore never to tell anyone out of the monastery out of respect of Austin's wishes. He didn't want people to know he was a Medium, though many members of the monastery insisted he wasn't. They swore he was something else; something more powerful. He was too perfectly tuned into the spirit world. They pointed out that he almost seemed bonded with the world beyond.

Austin honestly didn't know. He never really tested his abilities to their full limit. He knew how to control them just enough to get by. A priest that everyone called Father Highland insisted that was very dangerous for him to not know his full abilities. Austin always shrugged off the idea of actually practicing and honing his abilities. He ignored them when he could, passed spirits when he had to, and lived their deaths when he slept. That was already too much for him. He just wanted to live his life as a normal person. Well, as normal as he could considering the friends and career he had. Fully tuning his abilities would take him even further into the depths of a world that the blonde had no interest in being in if he could avoid it, which he did and right now, getting the old guy off his back was his way to get back to normal.

Dez gave Austin a sheepish grin. "Goin' to go pass the old geezer?" He asked.

"Yeah." Austin breathed out.

"You know, you should just tell them." Dez said.

"What, Ally and Trish?" The blonde asked as he pulled his bag out the locker.

"Yes."

Austin groaned in frustration. He and Dez have had this conversation so many times. "No, Dez."

"Come on, Austin. Maybe if you just explain it to them they'll-"

Austin slammed his locker shut, cutting him off. "They'll what, Dez? We've been over this a million times. There's no point in telling them. They don't even believe in ghosts. Even if we did tell them, they'll probably just brush it off, saying that we're just screwing with them." Austin snapped.

"I don't get it, why is it that you never want anyone to know?" Dez had asked that question a million times and Austin never really gave him a true answer. Because, the fact was, Austin was scared that people would turn on him and call him a freak or brand him as an attention seeking fraud. So many people were always quick to call an open Medium like that. Austin was scared his reputation as a singer would be destroyed and he would lose his fame, which was something he just couldn't handle. He was living out his dream and he would die if it was ruined. Besides, Austin never really liked his ability. Sometimes, he flat out hated it. It wasn't something he loved and he didn't see the need to go posting it everywhere. He never really told Dez the truth because he knew what the redhead would say: That he was worried over nothing. If someone called him a fraud, then so be it. Who cares what they think? It wouldn't change anything. But that wasn't how Austin saw it so he never gave Dez an answer, cause he didn't want to hear that response.

"Forget it, Dez. There's no point." Austin huffed out as he swung his bag over his shoulder. "I'll see you later." He grumbled. He felt guilty for snapping at Dez and blamed it on the old man. He just wished Dez would stop trying to get him to tell Ally and Trish. Austin knew Dez meant well, but he knew nothing good would come of it. Trish would call BS on it in a heart beat and he knew Ally would just laugh it off, thinking it was them just messing around. He couldn't blame them for that.

Austin walked out the school, leaving Dez behind. The elderly man kept up with in a floating/ walking manner. Never really doing just one. The old man was the worst kind of spirit that he had to deal with: a residual one. The man knew there was something wrong with his situation but he didn't know- or understand- that he was dead.

He hated dealing with residual spirits. They never wanted to pass.

"Okay old man, let's this over with." Austin huffed out as he entered his house. He slammed the front door shut as the man floated in. He looked around, confused.

"Where's my wife?" He asked.

Austin groaned. "We'll get to that. Come on." Very few people knew, but the Moon household had a hidden basement. The basement could only entered if someone twisted the Abe Lincoln bust in the bookshelf at a 90 degree angle. The bookshelf would move and would reveal a set of stairs leading downward. It was very cliche but it did the job. The basement was where Austin could help and pass spirits without being bothered. He could also be discreet about it.

He twisted the Lincoln bust's head and the shelf moved aside. He led the spirit downstairs, turning on lights as he did so. The basement consisted of a large open room, styled to look a normal family room. Two couches, a recliner, a coffee table in the middle all of which sat atop of a rug. This was to the left side of the staircase. On the right was an open area that split off to another, much larger, room with only a an arched wall to separate them. That room was filled with countless bookshelves, all of them filled with Austin's Dream Journals; something that kinda came as a requirement as Medium. Otherwise, he would probably would go insane.

In the center of the book shelved room was a large, beautifully decorated mirror. It was an old antique full body mirror, haling from the Victorian era. It was taller and wider than he was. The sides were heavily decorated with eccentric designs, all of which was handcrafted. The decoration swirled and arched beautifully around the mirror like a masterpiece. The whole frame was colored a polished black. In the center of the top the mirror, lay a incredibly detailed skull. It was also black. Its jaw was clamped shut and its unseeing eye sockets stared anyone who dared come near the mirror down.

He had found the mirror when he and his parents were at an antique store. Austin fell in love with it the second he saw it. He was drawn to it like a moth to a flame. He felt a supernatural pull to it and had to have it. He had to clue what purpose it had to him except to look at himself, but he knew that it would one day come in handy.

Finally, there was one more room. This one was closed off with an oak door. Inside the room was a black Japanese low table, two black floor pillows were on both sides of it. There was a simple glass incense burner in the center of the table. An unlit stick of it was already set on the burner, ready to be lit. There was also a small stove on the far wall, a teakettle sat atop of it. Austin always drank black tea when he helped spirits, needing the energy the tea gave him.

Austin led the old man in the room and gestured for the man to sit down. The old man obeyed. Austin lit the incense and filled the teakettle with water. He turned on the stove and sat down across from the man. "Okay, here we go." He huffed out.

"My wife." The man said desperately.

Austin eyed him warily. "Sir-"

"George Waters."

"George," Austin corrected. "Do you fully understand the situation you're in?" He asked.

The old man shook his head. "I- no. Everyone keeps ignoring me and I can't find my wife. I came to you for help because you seem to be the only person that won't ignore me."

"What do you remember last?" Austin asked he breathed in the incense as the smell wafted through the air.

"Laying down for bed with my wife, Karen, last night. It feels like I've been looking for her for an eternity."

Austin let out a sigh, broken by the dejected man's face. The teakettle whistled, steam poured out of it. Austin excused himself and prepared two cups of tea. He carefully brought the hot cups to the table.

The old man waved off the offered cup. "I don't drink tea." George said.

Austin sat it front of the man. "Try to pick it up." He said.

George furrowed his eyebrows in confusion at the request. "What?" He asked.

The blonde gave him a shrug. "Just pick it up."

"I don't understand how this is going to help me. What's the point of this?" George questioned.

"Do it and you'll understand." Austin said. He blew at his tea and took a small sip.

The old man rolled his eyes and reached for the cup. He wrapped his hand around it and pulled his arm up. George's eyes widened. The cup didn't move. He tried again. The cup stayed on the table. "What kind of sick game is this?" George snapped in anger. He looked under the table, trying to find something that would explain why the cup refused to budge. He couldn't find anything under the table. George tried to pick up the tea cup again. Once again, it stayed glued to the table. "What did you do to it?" He was seething now.

Austin put down his tea cup held his hand out, gesturing for the man to stop. He grabbed the old man's cup and lifted it into the air without effort. George stared at it in disbelief. He tried to take it from Austin but found that he couldn't.

"Are you some kind of magician or a witch?" George question, still in disbelief.

Austin shook his head. "No." He whispered.

"Then what are you?" George asked accusingly.

"I'm a Medium, George. I'm the only person that hasn't ignored you because I'm the only one that can see you." Austin explained as he put George's tea cup back down onto the table.

"What? What do you mean?" The old man's eyes were wide.

"George, you need to listen what I'm saying to you. You're dead."

George's eyes bugged out in shock, his jaw slackened. He stared at Austin like he had grown a second head. "The hell kind of joke is this?" He asked in shock.

"What year is it, George?"

The old man's eyes darkened. "What kind of stupid question is that?" He hissed.

"Just answer the question." Austin insisted.

"It's 1983." He said confidently.

Austin took another sip from his tea and sighed. He set the tea down and stared at the old man with serious, half lidded eyes.

"What?" George snapped. "Am I wrong?"

"It's 2014, George. You've been dead for 31 years. Your wife probably already passed on." Austin said darkly.

George shook his head. "No," He whispered. "NO! YOU'RE LYING!" Tears poured down his eyes.

Austin flinched at the man's yelling. "I'm not lying, George." Austin insisted.

"Then prove it!" The man snapped.

Austin, in response, grabbed his iphone. He put it on the table in front of the man. The old man stared at it in confusion. "What the hell is this?" He snapped at the blonde.

"It's a cell phone." Austin answered.

The man scoffed. "No it's not."

Austin picked up his phone and unlocked it. He scrolled through his contacts and called Dez. He put it on speaker so George could here it ring. George stared, wide eyed, at the foreign device in shock.

Dez picked up. _"Austin?"_

"You alone, Dez?" Austin asked.

_"Yeah. What's up?"_

"Residual spirit." Austin said simply.

_"That old guy?"_

"Yeah."

_"You using the cell phone trick again?"_

"Obviously." Austin said.

Dez's laugh came through the speaker. _"Okay man. I gotta go, Ally's coming." _The line went dead. The room filled with beeping. George stared in shock at the device in Austin's hand.

"It is a phone." He said in disbelief.

"You're dead." Austin said as he put his phone back in his pocket.

George began to tremble as the information hit him head on. "I'm dead. Oh god, I'm dead." His bottom lip quivered and his whole face contorted into a pained sob.

Austin rubbed the back of his neck and stared at the burning incense. "I'm sorry," he mumbled. "But it's time to move on. You'll see your wife on the other side." His eyes never left the burning stick.

"You sure?" George asked through broken sobs.

Austin forced himself to look up at the man. "As long as you believe you'll see her again, you will." Austin made himself smile.

The old man began to nod repeatedly. "Okay," He said. "Okay...okay...okay."

"Just let go." Austin whispered. His gaze was back on the table.

George continued to nod and kept repeating, "Okay...okay...okay...okay." The man began to fade away. His legs were gone now. As he faded, he continued to repeat that same word. Every so often, he would say his wife's name but would immediately go back to saying that word again. Austin could feel the man's presence begin to fade away. He could still hear him but his voice started to sound like an echo.

Finally, the man was gone. Austin looked up to find the seat across from him empty. The man's presence was completely gone. Austin let out a tired, shaky breath, thankful that the man was quick to accept the truth. He rubbed the back of his neck and downed both of the tea cup's contents. He let out a sigh and got up. He put the cups by the stove and blew out the incense. He walked out of the room and shut the door.

Sometimes, it was just too much for him to handle. That man was a good man who suffered the fate of wandering the earth, having no clue that he was dead. Austin hated breaking the news to spirits like him. They didn't deserve that.

Austin began to walk toward the stairs when something caught his eye. Something was standing in the mirror. At first, he thought it was just his reflection but that wasn't him. The long black cloak, the hood that covered his face. That sharp, gruesome scythe in his bony hand. It was him. It was Death.

Austin's eyes widened terror. He hadn't seen him since his near death experience when he was younger. He didn't know why, but he could have sworn that Death was smiling at him. He could feel the grin coming from him. Austin gulped and took a step back away from the mirror. He was scared out of his mind. He looked so real, so vivid. So much more vivid than he did when he saw him when he was eleven and fading in and out of consciousness.

He nearly jumped out of his skin when the shrill ring of his phone went off. He fumbled with it and answered it. "He-hello?"

_"Austin? You alright?"_ Austin sighed when he heard his crush's voice come over the phone.

"I'm fine, Ally." He said, his voice shaky. He jumped in air and yelped when a very deep, dark chuckle erupted in the room. It sounded like it was actually in his head. Did the Grim Reaper really just laugh at him?

_"Are you sure you're fine? Dez said you called earlier. Where are you, anyway? You were supposed to come by after school to work on a song." _Ally asked in concern.

"I'm coming. I'm coming right now." Austin said in a panic.

_"Oh, okay."_ Ally said. "_Then I'll see you then."_

"Yeah, yeah. I'll see you then, Bye." Austin cut off the call and shoved the phone back in his pocket. His eyes shot back to the mirror. His eyes widened. He was gone. Austin looked around the room, half expecting Death to be standing next to him. No one was there. It was just him.

"Okay, calm down." Austin whispered to himself. He turned off all the lights and ran up the stairs, not daring to look back."


	3. Chapter 2

Disclaimer: I do not own Austin and Ally.

* * *

Chapter 2

It had been three days since Austin had seen Death in his mirror and he was still quite rattled from it. He could tell Dez knew something was up but the redhead never asked what was wrong. Austin suspected it was because Dez thought he wouldn't tell him anyway, which he wouldn't. He wasn't ready fro his best to know that he was seeing Death. He knew Dez would flip out and tell his parents and the people at the monastery. He knew they would lose it if they every found out.

Trish and Ally were oblivious to it all. They noticed that he had been acting weird, but that was it. A part of him really did want to tell them just so he wouldn't have to lie to them anymore, but that meant having to expose his abilities to them. Abilities that he didn't want outed.

Something else began to occur since his encounter with The Grim Reaper. He was seeing figures that weren't human. He knew they were of the supernatural realm because no one else seemed to be able to see them. They were so strange. Some figures were completely black and had no facial features. They were tall and lanky with long, bony fingers. They seemed like corrupt, lost beings with a drive for destruction. They wondered from house to house, scratching at doors and windows, mostly targeting the homes with young children. Austin sensed nothing but pure malice from the strange creature and he did his best to steer clear of them.

There was also a larger, much more menacing sort of creature that tended to lurk about. It was white and misty, larger than the other dark creatures. They wondered through people like water, flowing in and out of them with little resistance. As Austin watched them, he realized that the things were draining people of their energy. They fed off of the living. Their souls were broken, incomplete. Or maybe their souls were never complete. He found pieces of their souls that didn't match up, like they belonged to someone else. The white, ugly creatures seemed to be made up of bits of everyone's souls. The things were very bad news and Austin was afraid of them.

He hadn't seen Death since, even though he found himself sitting in front of the mirror on countless occasions, waiting for him to appear again. He never did. Austin wasn't if he should be relieved or worried. He tried not to dwell on it too much.

* * *

Austin cringed at the sight of the gashes on his arms. He had another Death Dream last night and this one had left some damage. Remnants of a successful suicide coated his wrists red. The wounds were deep but not deep enough to cause too much alarm. He was thankful that he never received the full blows like the people in his dreams did.

There was a banging at his bathroom door. Austin jumped, accidentally flinging drops of bloody water out of the sink. "Austin?" Dez's voice called from the other side of the door. "You in there? Why's the sink on?"

Austin breathed a sigh of relief, thankful that it was only Dez. "I'm fine," He yelled back. "Just give me a minute." He turned the faucet off and grabbed a clean towel. He pressed it a particularity deep gash on his left wrist, knowing it was the wound that had killed the boy in his dream. He opened the door and let Dez in.

Dez gaped in horror at the sight of all the blood. "Oh my god, I thought you said you were okay! Let me see it." Dez grabbed Austin's arm and pulled the already red towel back. Concern flickered through his eyes.

Austin cringed as Dez tenderly prodded at the wound "It's not as bad as it looks. I just can't get the bleeding to stop." He said.

Dez shook his head Austin, as if he was disappointed in the blonde. "I'm pretty it's something to worry about if you can't stop the bleeding. Dammit, Austin. Stop hiding this stuff from me. You could have bled out. Come on, lets get you stitched up."

Dez had taken various crash courses in medical aid and then some, preparing himself for whatever thing that happened to Austin. Though very few people knew, Dez had taken more medical training than a second year grad student at Harvard had. He could easily become a doctor if he wanted to.

Austin let his redheaded friend lead him back in his room. They sat on his bed as Dez pulled out a hidden first-aid kit from behind Austin's headboard. There were six in total hidden around the house.

"You're lucky it hadn't been any deeper. This cut is just millimeters from a major vein." Dez said as he put the towel aside and began to disinfect the wound. "So how'd this one happen?" Dez asked.

"Suicide." Austin said simply.

Dez stopped wiping the blood for a moment and stared up at Austin with questioning eyes. "I'm guessing it worked."

Austin nodded. "Some fourteen year-old boy. He offed himself in his bathtub." He flinched a bit as Dez began to thread the wound with a needle.

"It's still not as bad as the little girl that drank a whole carton of bleach. I about had a heart attack when you started throwing that stuff up."

Austin snorted a bit. "Yeah, I couldn't get that taste out of my mouth for a week. I still can't believe that girl did that."

Dez pulled the thread through Austin's skin. "Why'd she do it again?" He asked thoughtfully.

"Poor girl got sick of daddy's abuse. I mean, she lost her virginity to him when she was seven."

"Poor thing." Dez mumbled with a distant look in her eyes. "She was eleven when she killed herself, wasn't she?"

"Yeah." It was strange, how dark their conversation was. Both of them had gotten used to having such morbid conversations a long time ago. The dead was a part of Austin's life and he was a part of Dez's life. There was no escaping it.

"Okay, you're all done." Dez said.

"Thank you." Austin said, holding his sewn up wrist to his chest.

"Hey, it's what I'm here for."

Austin stared down at his bed sheets, lost in thought. "I'm sorry." He whispered.

Dez blinked in confusion. "For what?"

"For putting you through all of this. You shouldn't have to do this for me."

Dez shook his head at him. "Jeez, Austin, how many times do we have to go over this? I'm here because I want to be. No one is making me do this for you. I'm more than happy to help you through this. I just wish you were more honest with me about it."

Austin blinked at him. "What do you mean?" He asked warily.

"Austin, I know you've been stuff from not only me but also the monks at the monastery."

The blonde sputtered. "What? I-"

Dez cut him off. "Don't you dare lie to me." He said, a rare tone of authority coating his words.

Austin slumped. "Okay, yes. I admit it, I've been hiding some things."

"Why? We're trying to help you." Dez demanded.

"Help me?" He said incredulously. "How can anyone help when even _I_ don't even fully understand what's happening?" He snapped. "The monastery, they said it themselves; they have no clue what's going on with me. They've never seen something this extreme before."

"Maybe if you told us everything then we'd be able to understand it better." Dez argued back.

Austin threw his arms against the bed. "I don't know, I don't think that's how this works. The supernatural world is just too unpredictable. Even if I told you every little thing that happened, I doubt that'll help."

Dez eyed him with calm, searching eyes. "What happened?"

"Don't change the subject."

"What. Happened? You've been acting all jumpy for a few days now, tell me what happened."

Austin cast his eyes to his bed, unable to make eye contact with his friend. "I- I'm not sure how to say it. I don't know if I want to." He mumbled.

"What is it, Austin? Talk to me." Dez asked.

"I'm sorry. I just-" Austin shot up from the bed. "I can't say it. I'm still trying to tell myself that I didn't see what I saw."

Dez stood up from the bed, his eyes never leaving Austin. "What did you see?"

The blonde shook his head. "No, not yet. I'll tell you some other time but not yet."

"Why not?" Dez demanded.

Their eyes met. "I'm still trying to figure out what it means. I just- I'm just sure if I-" A soft scratching noise suddenly filled the room. Austin stopped talking, his ears perking at the noise. He looked around, trying to find the source of the noise.

Dez eyes him in confusion. "Austin?"

"Sh!" He shushed him, his focus never leaving the noise.

_Scratch Scratch Scraaaaatch_

"Austin, what is it?" Dez asked.

"You don't hear it?" Austin question.

Dez's eyebrows furrowed. "Hear what?"

"That sound." Austin said.

"What sound?"

_Scratch Scratch Scratch Scraaaatch _

Austin's eyes rested on the window. He walked over to it and looked through it. At first, he found nothing. He lowered his gaze to the ground. Then he saw it. His eyes widened. One of those long, lanky black creatures was scratching at one of the living room windows downstairs. His heart clenched in dread at the sight. It was hunched over, too tall to stand straight to scratch at the window. He watched it drag its claws against the window; its bony fingers moving in an unnatural way.

_Scratch Scratch Scratch _

He gulped, feeling the menacing aura pour out of the creature. He had to get rid of it, but how? He had only dealt with spirits before. The thing wanted in. It didn't seem to know how to use a door, which relieved Austin, but he was still scared of might happen if the thing got in. He stared at it, wide eyed, in horror, ignoring Dez's questions.

The thing stopped scratching for a moment. It slowly lowered its long hand from the window. Austin's eyes bugged out in horror as the thing's gaze slowly rose up to the window. If the thing had eyes, then they were making eye contact. It knew he could see it. Austin backed away from the window in a panic when the thing started to walk toward the second-story window.

"Austin!"

He nearly lost it when Dez's hand suddenly grabbed at his shoulder. He yelled and threw the hand off of him. "Don't do that!" Austin snapped, his heart beating rapidly.

"What is it? What's out there?" Dez asked.

_Scratch Scratch Bang Bang_

Austin jumped. It was somehow able to reach his window. Now it was scratching and banging on it, its black face glared at him. "Can we go?" Austin asked, not bothering to hide his fear.

"Why?" Dez asked. "What is it?"

"Let's just go."

"Tell me what it is." Dez demanded.

"I don't _know_ what it is!" Austin blew up at Dez. "Can we please just get out of here?" Austin didn't care that he was practically throwing a fit like a five year-old. He just wanted to get his point across.

"Only if you promise that you'll tell me what you saw." Dez said.

"Fine; now can we please go?"

"Alright, we'll go."

That was all the approval he needed. He bolted from the room and ran down the stairs. Dez had to sprint to catch up to the blonde. Austin stopped running once he reached the living. He heaved for air as he looked at every window, checking to make sure that the thing wasn't there. Biting his lip, he walked to the window that was closest to his second story one. He craned his neck and looked through it. He instantly jerked away, having caught a glimpse of the strange creature, still scratching at his window.

"Austin, what's out there?" Dez asked.

"I don't know, but it's bad. Now can we please just get out of here?" He begged.

"Alright, my car's in the driveway. Let's go."

Austin gulped. They had to pass the figure in order to get to the driveway. Fear raced through his veins. Dez was already opening the front door, ready to leave. He followed him, fast walking over to the redhead. His eyes never left the strange thing, hoping that it wouldn't look over at them. He pushed Dez out the door, locking it on his way out. He ignored Dez's protests to slow down as he jogged to the car. He got in the car and buckled up as he waited for Dez to catch up.

Austin kept his eyes on the black creature. It seemed to be oblivious to their presence. It continued to scratch at his bedroom window, thinking he was still in there. Dez finally reached the car. He climbed in and started it up, sending Austin concerned glances as he did so.

"Are you alright?" He asked with concern.

"I'll be better once we get out of here." Austin said shortly.

Dez put the car in reverse and pulled out of the driveway. Austin gripped the seat in his fists when the creature looked over at the car. It watched the car move but showed no sign of going after it. Dez put the car in drive and sped off, away from Austin's house. The blonde the creature in the rear-view mirror, sighing in relief when they turned a corner. The creature was no longer in sight.

The drive was silent, neither of them spoke. Austin rested his head on his fist which was propped up on the passenger door. His eyes were closed. Dez watched him form the corner of his with concern, unsure what to do to comfort his best friend. Dez turned on the radio and set it low, not wanting to disturb the distraught blonde.

Austin didn't react to the radio, seeming like he didn't even know it was on. He was too lost in his own thoughts, trying to make sense of what just happened. Why was he seeing these things now all of the sudden? He had never been able to them before. He had a strong hunch that it may have something to with the fact that he saw Death.

Were they out to get him or was he just exposed to another side of the supernatural realm because he saw none other than The Grim Reaper? he wasn't sure and he didn't like either of the options. He could feel Dez's eyes boring into him, silently questioning what was going on. He didn't want to tell him. He really didn't but it seemed like he didn't have much of a choice now. Dez knew something was up and he wasn't going to drop the subject until he got an answer.

Dez pulled into his driveway and shut off the car. Neither of them moved. They just sat there, not even bothering to take off their seat belts. "So," Dez said. "Are you going to tell me what that was about?" He asked.

Austin sighed, digging his forehead into his knuckles. "I saw something and it freaked me out, okay." He said, still incredibly rattled from what happened.

"What was it?"

Austin suddenly sat up from his hunched over position. He held his hands up as he said, "I don't know what it was,okay? I don't know!"

Dez stared at him, unsure. "Okay?"

"All I know is that it wasn't human and it wasn't friendly. It was black and it was long and had these creepy as hands and it freaked me the hell out! It kept scratching at the window and it knew that I could see it! I just- I don't know, Dez!"

"Why do you think it was there?" Dez asked.

Austin slowly shook his head. "I'm not sure. I've been seeing it for three days now and this is the first time it's been at my house. Usually it creeps on houses with children living in them."

"You've been seeing it for for three days and you didn't tell me?" Dez asked, astonished. "What else have you been seeing?"

"This white figure that's even worse than the black one. I don't know where they came from. They weren't there and then all the sudden, they were."

"Something must have triggered their appearance. Has something happened that have caused them to show up?" Dez asked.

Austin bit his lip, not wanting to answer the question. He looked out his window so he didn't have to look at Dez, who was now giving him a confused look.

"Austin? What is it?"

He shook his head. "I don't want to talk about it." He hurriedly mumbled.

"Are you serious? Stop hiding stuff from me; I'm of being in the dark! Just tell me! I might actually be able to help, Austin." Dez said angrily.

"Dez, just please?" Austin begged.

"No!" Dez snapped. "I'm done with you keeping secrets from me. Just let me in! What caused those things to show up?"

Austin stared at his lap; his lips pressed tight against each other. Dez stared at him, waiting for the blonde to answer him. Austin finally looked up at his friend, looking at him straight in the eye. Dez's eyebrows furrowed in confusion when he saw pure unadulterated terror in his Austin's eyes.

"I saw Death." Austin rasped fearfully.

Dez's eyes widened, completely taken aback.

* * *

Here it is: Chapter 2. I'm sorry it took so long to update. I hope you enjoy. Please review and tell me what you thought.


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